‘Red lines’ loom over fifth round of Iran-US nuclear talks

Al Jazeera :

Negotiators for Iran and the United States have begun a fifth round of talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme amid uncompromising rhetoric on both sides.
Several convoys arrived at Oman’s embassy in Rome’s Camilluccia neighbourhood on Friday afternoon and Iranian media reported that talks have started. The negotiations were expected to be led by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
The ongoing talks, mediated by Oman, seek a new deal in which Iran would be prevented from producing nuclear weapons while having international sanctions eased. However, little progress has been made so far, and both Washington and Tehran have taken a tough stance in public in recent days, particularly regarding Iran’s enrichment of uranium.
Witkoff has said Iran cannot be allowed to carry out any enrichment.
Tehran, which has raised its enrichment to about 60 percent, well above civilian needs but below the 90 percent needed for weaponisation, has rejected that “red line”.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the demand “excessive and outrageous,” warning that the ongoing talks are unlikely to yield results.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington is working to reach an agreement that would allow Iran to have a civil nuclear energy program but not enrich uranium, while admitting that achieving such a deal “will not be easy”.
On Thursday, the State Department announced new sanctions on Iran’s construction sector.